Radiator

“For three, contented months we lived in a house in constant earshot of military aircraft, to make ‘Radiator’ the album that it was. The original album sounded great when we emerged from our exile on Anglesey, and still does, but technology moves with the times and now we can hear it in higher-resolution, as nature intended. We’ve forgotten as much as we ever knew, so the rarities, demos and b-sides on the second disc are as much a surprise to us as they are to you.”

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of ‘Radiator’, the album has been remastered and is available to STREAM OR BUY now!

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Cian

As a songwriter, keyboard player and vocalist, Ciarán’s contribution to a band credited with re-establishing not just Welsh, but British music’s credibility, as the excesses of mid-nineties music started to fade, set the tone for his later solo projects.

Drawing on his love for all things electronic, Ciarán’s recording and producing history as Acid Casuals and Paps earned him a reputation as the member of the Super Furries more often found experimenting with the beats and bleeps over traditional guitars, drums and bass. The assumption that his head and heart was irreversibly won only by techno failed to take into account production and playing credits with artists as diverse as Paul McCartney, Mogwai, Manic Street Preachers and Kaiser Chiefs. Ciarán has always remained a moving target.

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Daf

Daf played with Gruff Rhys in their early band Ffa Coffi Pawb. He was a drummer for Welsh band Catatonia from 1993-1996, recording on their early singles and debut album Way Beyond Blue released in 1996. During the same period Super Furry Animals formed and Ieuan left Catatonia to focus on them.

Daf runs the Cardiff based label and recording studio Strangetown Records with brother Cian, he was awarded by BAFTA Wales 2011 for Original Music for the S4C drama Pen Talar filmed by Fiction Factory.

Ieuan released The Golden Mile with The Peth (“The Thing” in Welsh) in 2008, with Welsh actor Rhys Ifans on vocals. A second album, Crystal Peth has been recorded but has yet to be released. With DJ and rapper Rashid “Wibidi” Omar, he recorded and produced music under the band name Wibidi. In 2013, he recorded with The Earth (band), with guitarist Mark Roberts (formerly of Catatonia), bassist Tristan Marley and vocalist Dionne Bennett.

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Gruff

Gruff; born 18 July 1970 in Haverfordwest is a Welsh musician, composer, producer, filmmaker and author. He performs solo and with several bands, including Super Furry Animals who obtained mainstream success in the 1990s. He formed the electro-pop outfit Neon Neon with Boom Bip. Their album Stainless Style was nominated for the 2008 Nationwide Mercury Prize. He won the 2011 Welsh Music Prize for his album Hotel Shampoo. His latest solo album, American Interior, was released in May 2014, accompanied by a film, a book and a mobile app.

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Guto

Guto; born 4 September 1972 in Cardiff, Wales is a bass guitar player and songwriter in the band Super Furry Animals. With them, he has recorded nine UK Chart Top 25 studio albums, plus numerous singles, EPs, compilations and collaborations. Pryce also records and performs with several other musical acts including his band Gulp.

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discography

Fuzzy Logic

Label: Creation Records

Release Date: 20/05/1996

In February 1996, the band’s debut on Creation, “Hometown Unicorn”, became New Musical Express’s Single of the Week, chosen by guest reviewers Pulp, and the first SFA single to chart in the UK Top 50, peaking at #47.

The follow-up, a re-recording of “God! Show Me Magic”, charted at #33 upon release in April 1996 and also became NME single of the week. Rawer than the “Moog Droog” version, it clocks in at only 1 min 50 secs. In May, their debut album Fuzzy Logic was released, again to wide critical acclaim. Sales were slow, with the album peaking at #23 in the charts, but it garnered a little more interest when next single “Something 4 The Weekend” (a reworked, more mellow version of the album track) was given considerable radio airplay and charted at #18 in July 1996.

The final single from the album, “If You Don’t Want Me To Destroy You”, was to have been backed by a track called “The Man Don’t Give A Fuck”. However, there were problems in clearing a sample from “Showbiz Kids” by Steely Dan which formed the basis of the chorus, and it was switched for a different track. The single charted at #18. However, SFA regarded “The Man Don’t Give A Fuck” as one of their best songs to date and continued their efforts to clear the sample. When they managed this, there was no upcoming release to attach it to – so it came out as a limited edition single in its own right, in December 1996. This ultimately cemented its legendary status and did much to establish SFA as cult heroes, as the song contained the word “fuck” over 50 times and therefore received practically no airplay. However, it hit #22 in the charts and became SFA’s standard closing number when they played live.

God! Show Me Magic

Something 4 the Weekend

If You Don't Want Me to Destroy You

If You Don't Want Me to Destroy You

Guacamole

(Nid) Hon Yw'r Gân Sy'n Mynd I Achub Yr Iaith

The Man Don’t Give a Fuck

Label: Creation Records

Release Date: 14/12/1996

The Man Don’t Give a Fuck is based round a sample from the Steely Dan song “Show Biz Kids” – “You know they don’t give a fuck about anybody else”. The sample is repeated more than 50 times and so the single is claimed to feature the word “fuck” more than any other song, but Insane Clown Posse’s “Fuck the World” in fact beats it with 93 instances of ‘fuck’. However, the live re-issue of “The Man Don’t Give A Fuck” broke that record.

Track Listing

The Man Don't Give A Fuck

The Man Don't Give A Fuck (Howard Marks Mix)

The Man Don't Give A Fuck (Wishmountain Mix)

Radiator

Label: Creation Records

Release Date: 25/08/1997

In early 1997, SFA embarked on the NME Brats Tour and completed work on a speedy follow-up to Fuzzy Logic. Two singles preceded the new album, “Hermann Loves Pauline” in May and “The International Language Of Screaming” in July, hitting #26 and #24 respectively. “Play It Cool” (released September 1997) and “Demons” (released November 1997) both hit #27 in the charts.

Play It Cool

Demons

Ice Hockey Hair

The EPs title track takes its name from an alternate name for the mullet hairstyle.

The track “Smokin'” was later released on the compilation album Out Spaced while “Ice Hockey Hair” was included on the band’s compilation Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1.

Track Listing

Smokin

Ice Hockey Hair

Mu-Tron

Let's Quit Smoking

Out Spaced

Label: Creation Records

Release Date: 24/11/1998

In November 1998, the album Out Spaced was released. This was a collection of songs from the 1995 Ankst releases (including “Dim Brys: Dim Chwys”), the band’s favourite B-sides, plus “The Man Don’t Give A Fuck” and “Smokin'”.

A limited edition appeared in a comedy rubber sleeve, shaped like a nipple.

Track Listing

Guerrilla

Label: Creation Records

Release Date: 07/06/1999

1999 proved to be a big year for SFA. NME readers named them Best New Band in January. In May, the single “Northern Lites” was released and made #11 in the charts. A dense production, with steel drums clattering out a calypso rhythm whilst Gruff sang an irreverent lyric about Jesus, it was an apt taster for the new album, Guerrilla.

Recorded at the Real World Studios, the album retained SFA’s pop melodies but took a less guitar-centric approach to their execution and was their most experimental work to date. The album swung from glam and garage rock numbers (“Night Vision”, “The Teacher”) to novelty techno (“Wherever I Lay My Phone (That’s My Home)”), ambient indietronica (“Some Things Come From Nothing”) and upbeat drum’n’bass (“The Door To This House Remains Open”).

For the cover art, Pete Fowler created the band’s first three-dimensional models, rather than the paintings he had supplied for the Radiator album and singles.

After playing several of the summer festivals, SFA released “Fire In My Heart”, the most soulful track from Guerrilla, in August and saw it chart at #25. They then embarked on a US and UK tour. SFA finished their UK tour at the Cardiff International Arena in Cardiff, where they showcased the first ever concert in surround sound and broadcast it on the World Wide Web.

January 2000 involved a series of changes for SFA. The last single from Guerrilla, “Do Or Die”, was released and made #20. It was also the last single SFA released on Creation Records, as founder Alan McGee set off to pursue other interests.

Singles from Guerrilla

Northern Lites

Rabid Dog

This, That and the Other

Fire in My Heart

The Matter Of Time

Mrs Spector

Do Or Die

Missunderstanding (sic)

Colorblind

Mwng

Label: Placid Casual

Release Date: 15/05/2000

It had always been SFA’s plan to release their next album on their own label, Placid Casual, as it would be a deliberate sidestep from their recent work: a largely acoustic album of Welsh language songs entitled Mwng meaning “mane”.

A limited edition (of 3000) 7 inch record, “Ysbeidiau Heulog” (meaning “Sunny Intervals”) preceded Mwng in May 2000. It came backed with “Charge” (Theme from Das Koolies), a hard-rock jam recorded as a Peel Session for the BBC. The album, released the same month, sold remarkably well for a non-English LP – it made #11 in the charts – and received a rare distinction for a pop record, being commended in Parliament for its efforts in keeping the Welsh language alive.

2000 also saw the Furries contribute two tracks, Free Now and Peter Blake 2000, for the Liverpool Sound Collage project, which was nominated for a Grammy. They undertook this remixing of unreleased Beatles recordings at the invitation of Paul McCartney, whom they had met at the NME Awards, where they had won Best Live Act.

Track Listing

Singles from Mwng

Ysbeidiau Heulog

Charge

Rings Around The World

Label: Epic

Release Date: 23/07/2001

With the demise of Creation, SFA needed to find a new label for their next album. Sony had long held a substantial stake in Creation and offered deals to many ex-Creation artists, including SFA, who signed with one of Sony’s subsidiaries, Epic. The band pushed for a deal which allowed them to take a new album elsewhere if the label wasn’t interested in releasing it – thereby allowing them to find a home for any esoteric project they might want to undertake in the future.

The greater resources afforded them by Epic were apparent in their first album for the label, Rings Around the World, an album that recaptured the cohesive, experimental feel of Guerrilla but more song-driven and sonically expansive. The first single was a good indication of what was to come: “Juxtapozed With U”, released in July 2001, and made #14 in the charts.

The album followed in the same month, reaching #3 in the album charts. One of the tracks from the album, “Receptacle For The Respectable” featured Paul McCartney on “carrot and celery rhythm track” (a homage to his performance on the Beach Boys’ “Vegetables”). SFA unleashed their experimental side on tracks such as “Sidewalk Serfer Girl” (which switches between light techno-pop and hardcore punk), “(A) Touch Sensitive” (gloomy trip-hop) and “No Sympathy” (which descends into chaotic drum’n’bass).

Rings Around the World is also remarkable for being the world’s first simultaneous release of an audio and DVD album. It was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2001.

Singles from Rings Around The World

Phantom Power

Label: Epic

Release Date: 21/07/2004

The next album, Phantom Power, relied less on sound experimentation and proved to be a more stripped-down, back-to-basics recording in contrast to the orchestral Rings Around the World. It was also released as both a CD and DVD album in July 2003, preceded by a single, “Golden Retriever”, in June (chart #13). Although the reviews for the album were generally good and it sold well initially, charting at #4.”Hello Sunshine”, hit #31 in October 2003 .

The group followed Phantom Power in 2004 with a remix version, Phantom Phorce, with tracks reworked by the likes of Killa Kela, Four Tet and Brave Captain. They accompanied this with a download single, “Slow Life”, which also included the track “Motherfokker”, a collaboration with Goldie Lookin Chain, both tracks are now available as a free download via the Placid Casual website. In October 2004 the band released a “best of” album, Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1, accompanied by a single – a live version of “The Man Don’t Give A Fuck” (chart #16).

Singles from Phantom Power

Golden Retriever

Blue Fruit

Summer Snow

Hello Sunshine

Cowbird

Sanitizzzed

Songbook Vol 1

Label: Epic

Release Date: 04/10/2004

Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1 collects all of the Super Furry Animals singles released between 1996 and 2004 as well as B-side “Blerwytirhwng?” (which can be found on their 1995 Welsh only debut EP Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (In Space)). Songbook… was released in the UK in October 2004, debuting at #18 on the UK album charts. The collection didn’t see a U.S. release until January 2005.

Love Kraft

Label: Sony BMG Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd.

Release Date: 22/08/2005

In August 2005, Super Furry Animals released their seventh studio effort, Love Kraft, recorded in Brazil. This represented a departure from their previous working methods: although all five members had always contributed to the development of the songs, Gruff had been the main songwriter. On Love Kraft this was no longer the case, as Gruff, Bunf, Daf and Cian all contributed songs and lead vocals. There was only one single from the album, “Lazer Beam”, released on 15 August (chart #28).

Track Listing

Zoom!

Atomik Lust

The Horn

Ohio Heat

Walk You Home

Lazer Beam

Frequency

Oi Frango

Psyclone!

Back On A Roll

Cloudberries

Cabin Fever

Hey Venus!

Label: Rough Trade

Release Date: 27/08/2007

Hey Venus! is the eighth album by Welsh band Super Furry Animals, described by lead singer Gruff Rhys as “a speaker blowing LP”. The album will be the band’s first full-length release on Rough Trade Records.

After releasing three albums that demonstrated a progression in the band’s sound, Hey Venus! is widely seen by many as a return to the ‘poppier’ tone of their 1996 debut album Fuzzy Logic. It is also their shortest-running studio release to date, clocking at just over 36 minutes.

Track Listing

The Gateway Song

Run-Away

Show Your Hand

The Gift That Keeps Giving

Neo Consumer

Into The Night

Baby Ate My Eightball

Carbon Dating

Suckers!

Battersea Odyssey

Let The Wolves Howl At The Moon

Dark Days / Light Years

Label: Rough Trade

Release Date: 16/03/2009

This is the Super Furries’ ninth studio album, but it has more spark and invention than most teen bands manage on their debuts. Dark Days/Light Years is their finest collection since 2003’s Phantom Power, a purple patch perhaps inspired by the band members’ dalliances in various solo projects: Neon Neon, Candylion, the Peth and Acid Casuals. At their best, they find the interface between exotic, arcane sounds and rich tunes; Crazy Naked Girls is a perfect nexus of melody and odd falsetto funk. The band find joy in repetition – as ever – in psych-rocker Prijk. Elsewhere, Nick McCarthy from Franz Ferdinand raps in German over Inaugural Trams, which has the buoyancy of a twisted kids’ TV theme. And, to further recommend it, there’s a track called The Very Best of Neil Diamond.

Track Listing

Crazy Naked Girls

Mt

Moped Eyes

Inaugural Trams

Inconveniance

Cardiff In The Sun

The Very Best Of Neil Diamond

Helium Hearts

White Socks / Flip Flops

Where Do You Wanna Go?

Lliwiau Llachar

Pric

Bing bong

Label: Strangetown Records

Release Date: 13/05/2016

BING BONG was originally written for the 2004 European football finals in Portugal, when Wales narrowly missed out after a bizarre qualifying campaign, yet lay buried among giant inflatable bears, various stage props, dreams and paraphernalia in the Furries archive for almost 12 years.

It was the success of the 2016 Welsh team, cosmically coinciding with the band’s 20th anniversary tour, which brought it bouncing back to life.

Released on Friday 13th May, Bing Bong’s artwork comes from long term collaborator Pete Fowler.